Feed tube



Jan. 6, 1959 J. E. ALDRIDGE 2,867,247

FEED TUBE Filed June 4. 1956 I 4 l 7 3 34, 25 2| 23 22 F/. 4.

INVENTOR. JOHN E. ALDR/DGE Y B wa W4 ATTORNEYS 2,867,247 Patented Jan. 6, 1959 'FEED TUBE John E. Aldridge, Denver, Colo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Kuner-Empson Conipany,'Brighton, Colo, a corporation of Colorado Application June 4, 1956; Serial- N; 589,064- Claims. c1. 14-1 -39) This invention relates to liquid filling tubes, and more particularly to filling tubes orheads for dispensingsmall and accurate portions of liquid 'into ismall, flexible containers which are generally formed and sealed during the filling process.

Small, flexible containers in the 'shape of thin, rectangular bags are in common use for such things as granulated sugar, pills, hand lotion, etc. These bags are made of paper, cellophane, plastic film and the like. The. bags may be made from a single strip of material folded back on itself or from two strips in face engagement sealed together around the periphery thereof, and the bags are usually made by the machine which fills the packages. The bags are normally made by sealing the open side or sides and the bottom, leaving an open top for admission of the package ingredient. Free-flowing granular or crystalline material and free fiowing'liquids are readily filled into the small packages, but heavy, viscous material tends to trap large air bubbles; causing-incomplete fills or material overflowing the bag into the top seal portion.

Included among the objects and advantages of the present invention is the provision of a simple filling tube or distributor for small, flexible containers which distributes a series of streams of filling materialcompletely across the bottom of said bag, providing a homogeneous and uniform fill without entrapment of air bubbles in the liquid. The device is provided with a gas system so as to expel air from the bag and replace it with an inert gas which is sealed in the completed container. The filling tube or distributor provides a simple, effective filling means for heavy, viscous materials, and formaterials which should be packaged under aninert atmosphere.

These and other objects and advantagesof the invention may be readily-ascertained by referring to the 'follow ing description and illustrations in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device according to the invention illustrating the formation of a bag by means of a die set and the position of the filling tube in relation to the-formed bag; I

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a filling tube arranged in a partially completed bag showing the arrangement of the tube in relation to the bag during filling;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side detailed view of a filling tube according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the filling tube illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the filling tube illustrated in Fig. 3 showing the bottom outlets of the filling tube; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the dispensing nozzles or outlets of a filling tube according to the invention.

Machines for making small, flexible packages are well known and are frequently used in various industries for packaging small, individual portions of various ingredients. Many different types of machines are available which utilize a single strip of material, two strips of mate- ,riai, or multiples of two for packaging various ingredients.

' One such machine which utilizes two strips of material amenable to sterilization.

is'described inco-pendingapplication SerialNo. 286,698, filed May 8, 1952,- for Bag Making, Filling and Sealing Machine, in the name of Brelsford et al.,'now U. S. Patent No. 2,765,605, issued October 9, 1956. In'that application there is described a machine in which two strips of sheet material arepassed between oscillating, heated dies so that initially the sides and bottom of the two strips of material are sealed'together to form three sides of a bag, and when the bag is filled-the strips are advanced throughthe machine and'the next movement of the dies completes the bag by sealingthe top of the bag, and simultaneously forming the bottornof the next progressive bag.

In the device illustrated in-Fig. 1, a right-hand strip of material 1 and a'left-hand strip of material 2 noted from individual supplies of strip material, not shown, which are brought together at about the closure point of a pair of oscillating sealingdies 4 and 5 so as to form a bag 3 of the strip material. The dies 4 and 5 include serrated edges 6 and 7 respectively which extend around cavities 8 and 9-resp'ectively. The serrated edges are of substantial 'U-shape. As the dies are brought together on the strips therebetween, the edges 14 and 15 of the strip material are sealed together as well as the bottom 16 thereof forming the three sides of a package, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Afilling tube It), described in detail below, is mounted in the machine so as to be in'position to fill the bag after'it has been formedby operation of the dies. It is positioned so as to have its :lower end 1'7 encompassed by'the cavities in the dies during the closing-of the dies. The bag is preferably slowly withdrawn downwardly from the filling tube as material is injected into it to provide an even and homogeneous fill in the tube. 'After the bag '3 is filled it is in:the=positionbelow-the 'bottom edge of the dies 4 and 5, -and when the dies are moved to closed position they seal the next'bag and also seal'the top of bagfi. Simultaneously cutters :12 and 13 move together with the movementtof the diesv to cut the completedubag from. the strip.

The device of the invention is illustrated in'detail in Figs. 3 through6,and the filling tube includes a head portionfifi and a body portion 21. The head portion 20 is made large enough tobe easily fitted on the bagmaking machine, andthe body 21 is a thin, elongated "portion having slightly tapering sides 22 and 23 which taper outwardly from the bottom end 17 of the filling tube. The filling tube head and body may be made of any material which is rigid and easilyiworked. Since the material 'being filled may' be food, the tube material must be A conduit 24 extends from the head'portio-n to. a triangular shaped or outwardly flared chamber 25 at the lower end of the body. The upper end of the conduit in the head includes a threaded portion 26 for attachment of a feed conduit and fitting 27. The bottom 28 of the chamber 25 extends substantially across the lower portion of the body 21, and it is closed by a cap portion 29. The cap portion 29 which is integrally secured to the body 21 includes a plurality of openings 30 which extend downwardly and in slightly different angles from one another from the chamber 25.

Each of the outlets 3% includes a tapered passage 31 3 33 provides means for introducing an inert gas into the bag being filled.

In operation of the filling tube of the invention, the bag 3 is slowly moved down the tube after the formation of the bagand during filling thereof. Liquid which is dis.- charged from the outlets 30 is directed to different parts of the bag, as illustrated by the dashed lines 36 in Fig. 2. Since the streams which are injected into the bag are small and are injected into various parts of the bag, substantially no air will be trapped in the bag with the liquid. An inert gas. may be introduced into the bag through the threaded inlet 35, the conduit 33, and the outlet 34 so as to displace all the air in the bag during the filling. When the bag is full andis subsequently sealed the inert gas will be sealed in the bag with the material. With certain materials which deteriorate under aniair atmosphere, as for example catsup or similar types of foods, an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the like, is anecessity to provide adequate storage conditions for the food contained in the bag. The small streams of liquid which are injected substantially across the width of the bag prevent any inclusion of trapped air. This reduces the possibility of trapping air in the bag and insures that all the air in the bag can be replaced with an inert atmosphere. When an inert atmosphere is not required, the filling tube also provides an accurate and even fill of the material without having outlet for gas is positioned to discharge gas directly above the liquid dispensing outlets so as to expel air from said container as it is being filled with liquid.

3. A liquid distributor of the class described comprising a head arranged for connection to a liquid supply, an elongated thin body interconnected with said head, said body being arranged to extend a substantial distance into a container to be filled, a conduit internally of said body and interconnected with said liquid supply, an enlarged cavity in said body adjacent to and spaced from an edge remote from said head and extending substantially across the width thereof, said cavity communicating with said conduit, a plurality of small outlets in the edge remote trapped air which will cause the amount of liquid being filled in the bag to overflow the fill level and be exposed to the sealing portion of the bag, or to flow completelybeyond the sealing portion, thereby preventing an adequate sealing for satisfactory packaging.

While the invention has been illustrated by reference to a specific device, there is no intent to limit the scope or? concept of the invention to the precise details so set forth, except as set forth in the following claims.

I claim: 3

11. A liquid distributor of the class described comprising a head arranged for connection to a liquid supply, an elongated thin body portion interconnected with said head, said body portion being arranged to extend a substantial distance into a container to be filled, a conduit 1 internal of said body portion and interconnected with said liquid supply, an enlarged cavity in said body portion adjacent to and spaced from an edge remote from said head and communicating with said conduit, a plurality of small outlets in the edge remote from said head communicating with said cavity and arranged to dispense liquid streams in a plurality of directions, a gas conduit internal of said body portion terminating in a supply connection in said head, and an outlet in said body portion remote fromsaid plurality of small outlets communicating with said gas conduit and being positioned to expel gas into a container when the distributor is in filling relation to a container.

2. A distributor according to claim 1 in which the from said head communicating with said cavity and ar-. ranged to dispense liquid streams in a plurality of directions, a gas conduit internal of said body terminating in a supply connection in said head, and an outlet in said body remote from said plurality of small outlets interconnected with said gas conduit and being arranged in position to expel gas into a container when the distributor is in filling relationto a container.

4. A liquid filling tube of the class described comprising a head portion arranged .for connection to a liquid supply, a body portion interconnected with said head portion and arranged to extend partially into a container to be filled, an internal conduit in said body portion interconnected With said supply, an outwardly flared cavity in said body portion adjacent to and spaced from'an edge remote from said head vportion, said conduit communicating with said cavity and interconnected at the apex thereof, and a plurality of outlets in the edge remote from said head portion directed downwardly and outwardly so asto discharge liquid along the bottom of the container being filled, there being a tapered passageway interconnecting each said outlet with said cavity. I

5. A liquid fillingtube ofthe class described compris ing a head portion arranged for connection to a liquid supply, a body portion interconnected with said head portion and arranged to extend partially into a container to be filled, an internal conduit in said body portion interconnected with said supply, an outwardly flared cavity in said body portion adjacent to and spaced from the'edge remote from said head portion, said conduit'communicating with said cavity and interconnected at the apex thereof, a plurality of outwardly and downwardly directed outlets fordischarging liquid from said cavity along. the bottom of a containeribeing filled, a passageway interconnecting each outlet with said cavity, and each'said passageway being tapered from the outlet toward said cavity and the cavity opening of each passageway being closely spaced so as to substantially cover bottom of the cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent v I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,639,851

Duncan May 26, 11953 

